Chapter Summaries

Su Ming learned that the Collector wanted a fist-sized sample of raw Vibranium and data from the instant a Mind Stone-powered lifeform awakened in exchange for information about the Starcore Fragment. Realizing the being was likely Ultron, Su Ming checked in with Alisha on Terra and told her to monitor Tony and the others.

• The Collector explained that the Biofluid Lake's destruction had impressed him, then demanded raw Vibranium and the first-cries data of a lifeform born through the Mind Stone.
• Su Ming agreed to find the Vibranium and identified the newborn consciousness as Ultron, whom Tony and Banner were likely preparing to create.
• Su Ming sent his soul consciousness back to the base on Terra and found Alisha watching a palace intrigue drama.
• Alisha told Su Ming that Tony and the others were researching something with Dr. Banner, and Su Ming ordered her to keep an eye on them.

Su Ming rushed to prepare for the coming threats and upgraded his Sorcerer Supreme ability to the peak of the Ancient One’s normal power. The upgrade unleashed a reality-warping surge that left everyone nearby stunned and convinced Tivan that Su Ming was a cosmic spectacle worth studying.

• Su Ming decided he needed to act quickly before Ultron’s birth and to keep Wanda’s unstable Chaos Magic under control.
• Su Ming spent one trillion dollars to upgrade his Sorcerer Supreme ability, gaining large-scale reality manipulation within the Mirror Dimension or a chosen domain.
• Golden energy, runes, and spatial fissures distorted Su Ming’s room as the upgrade took effect, while the white gourd resonated with him.
• Rocket, Drax, Destroyer, Yondu, and others felt the surge and reacted with fear as objects floated and space warped around them.
• Tivan recognized the power’s unusual quality, hurriedly recorded its energy spectrum, and resolved to study Su Ming.

Su Ming’s Sorcerer Supreme upgrade caused reality to warp around him while he perceived the Guardians through walls and saw threads of causality. After Quill’s drunken dancing distracted everyone, Su Ming restored the dining room and its contents, leaving Drax to wonder whether he had put everything back in.

• Gamora sensed an oppressive energy from Su Ming and prepared for danger, while Quill mistook the spectacle for a party light show and began dancing to music from his Walkman.
• Rocket, Groot, Gamora, and Drax reacted to Quill’s antics as the warped room sent food and objects flying, until a metal tray struck Quill and knocked him to the floor.
• Su Ming watched from another room as his upgrade let him perceive through walls and observe threads of causality linking events.
• Su Ming’s energy receded, and he walked through the wall into the dining room as Quill awkwardly asked whether he had liked the song.
• Su Ming snapped his fingers and restored the room, its furnishings, and the wine barrels, prompting Drax to ask, “You put it all back in?”

Su Ming used his upgraded powers to restore the dining hall, then organized the Galaxy Guard Corps before announcing his return to Earth. He appointed Quill as deputy commander, named Rocket, Drax, and Gamora as vanguards, and made Groot the Corps’ totem, then turned to the Collector to discuss logistics.

• Su Ming restored the dining hall and woke everyone, removing their hangovers by manipulating their causal threads.
• Su Ming confirmed the Galaxy Guard Corps’ formation and announced that he had to return to Earth, promising the Corps would remain.
• Su Ming appointed Star-Lord, Peter Quill, as deputy commander, placing him in command during Su Ming’s absence.
• Su Ming appointed Rocket, Drax, and Gamora as vanguards to organize weapons, assault, and intelligence teams.
• Su Ming named Groot the Corps’ totem, and the members applauded the choice.
• Su Ming turned to the Collector to discuss logistical support, surprising Tivan.

Su Ming secured Tivan’s sponsorship for the Guardian Corps and prepared to return to Earth, while Quill and the others decided to confront Ronan. Su Ming promised they could summon him when Ronan’s army reached Xandar and gave them a ridiculous chant to do it.

• Su Ming confronted Tivan about collecting his energy spectrum and persuaded him to sponsor the Guardian Corps’ uniforms and spacecraft.
• Su Ming asked Quill what the Guardian Corps would do next, and Quill chose to oppose Ronan and protect Xandar.
• Gamora, Drax, Groot, and Rocket joined Quill in pledging to fight Ronan, despite Rocket’s doubts about their chances.
• Su Ming said he would leave soon but would come help when Ronan’s army reached Xandar if the Guardians summoned him.
• Su Ming told the Guardians to summon him by shouting a chant advertising Ronan’s flagship as secondhand goods and ending with “Family—3, 2, 1! Get the link!!”

Su Ming returned to Earth through a portal after arranging for the Guardians to summon him if needed. In Sokovia, Master Ancient One confronted his arrival with alarm as he sensed the scarlet figure inside the Hydra fortress.

• Su Ming gave Quill a theatrical incantation for summoning him and told the Guardians to prepare Ronan's empty Dark Aster.
• Quill, Rocket, Drax, and Gamora treated the incantation as a vital secret, and Su Ming told Quill to coordinate with Tivan on uniforms and ships.
• Su Ming opened a portal to Earth and stepped onto a snowy mountaintop near the Hydra base in Sokovia.
• Master Ancient One appeared as a projection and warned Su Ming that his power did not belong on Earth.
• Su Ming erased Ancient One's probing magic and revealed that his attention was drawn to a scarlet figure inside the fortress.

The Ancient One confronted Su Ming outside Sokovia Fortress, but their magical standoff triggered Wanda Maximoff’s Chaos Magic and left the fortress in turmoil. The Ancient One withdrew, sprained her ankle after returning to her body, and Su Ming teleported into the castle.

• The Ancient One warned Su Ming to leave Sokovia Fortress, and their clashing energies struck Wanda Maximoff in the underground laboratory.
• Wanda’s Chaos Magic erupted, destroying her restraints and damaging the laboratory while Pietro called out to her from his cell.
• The Ancient One tried and failed to use the Time Stone to see through Su Ming, then asked what he intended to do.
• Su Ming said he was only passing by and warned the Ancient One to leave the castle’s affairs alone.
• The Ancient One’s projection departed through a portal, and her returning body sprained its ankle as she stood up.
• Su Ming teleported directly into the castle.

Su Ming rescued Wanda and Pietro from the ruined castle and used his power to calm Wanda’s newly awakened Chaos Magic. After Wanda connected with him, Su Ming invited the siblings to come home with him.

• Su Ming decided to help Wanda control her Chaos Magic and opened Pietro’s cage.
• Pietro charged at Su Ming to protect Wanda, but Su Ming stopped him and said he was not an enemy.
• Su Ming reached Wanda through her mind and helped her sense and steady the power within her.
• Wanda took Su Ming’s hand, and their energies resonated as his light soothed her and healed her emotional wounds.
• Pietro warned that guards were approaching, and Su Ming helped Wanda up before inviting both siblings to come home with him.

Su Ming rescued Wanda and Pietro from the Hydra laboratory, shielding them from gunfire and killing the guards. Baron Strucker summoned Captain Jack Sparrow to confront the intruder, but Jack recognized Su Ming and reacted in terror.

• Pietro pulled Wanda away from Su Ming and refused to let the siblings go with a stranger.
• Hydra guards arrived and opened fire, but Su Ming protected Wanda and Pietro with a rune-covered energy shield.
• Su Ming turned the shield into a shockwave that killed the guards and destroyed their weapons.
• Baron Strucker watched the attack on a surveillance monitor and called Captain Jack Sparrow for help.
• Jack Sparrow answered Strucker's call, saw Su Ming on the monitor, and dry-heaved in fear after recognizing him.

Su Ming rescued Wanda and Pietro from Hydra’s castle and took Loki’s Scepter, while the Avengers arrived to attack the base. He let the twins confront Tony Stark, whom they blamed for their family’s deaths.

• Jack Sparrow recognized Su Ming and ordered the outer security forces to kill him before fleeing in a Hummer.
• Su Ming rescued Wanda and Pietro from the castle through a portal, taking Loki’s Scepter with him.
• The Avengers attacked Hydra’s castle, and Baron Strucker ordered his staff to prepare to fight while secretly planning to surrender.
• Su Ming emerged with the twins on a nearby mountainside as the Avengers confronted the castle’s energy barrier.
• Wanda and Pietro spotted Tony Stark, and Su Ming told them they could do what they wanted.
• Wanda focused her power on Iron Man and asked for Su Ming to take her to him.

The Avengers attacked Strucker’s castle while Tony deployed the Iron Legion to evacuate Sokovia’s hostile civilians. Pietro ambushed the Avengers and injured Clint, but Tony destroyed the castle’s barrier generator, leaving the team ready to enter as Clint needed urgent treatment.

• Natasha, Clint, Steve, and Tony fought through the castle’s defenses while Tony sent Iron Legion robots to evacuate civilians, who rejected them.
• Wanda left Pietro near the castle, and Pietro used his speed to knock away Clint’s arrow and injure him with the bunker’s gunfire.
• Natasha treated Clint as Pietro also threw Steve into the air, revealing that the Avengers faced an unfamiliar superpowered enemy.
• Hulk smashed the bunker while Su Ming watched the battle, and Thor and Steve coordinated against the castle’s defenders.
• Tony followed JARVIS’s directions and destroyed the barrier’s energy source, allowing the Avengers to enter the castle while Clint remained seriously wounded.

The Avengers defeated Hydra’s forces at Strucker’s base while Tony Stark searched the laboratory for Loki’s scepter. Wanda used her powers to show Tony a terrifying vision of the Avengers’ deaths and an alien invasion, and the chapter ended with Tony waking to discover the scepter was missing.

• Thor and Steve wiped out an approaching enemy unit, while Tony stormed the laboratory and ordered JARVIS to copy its research data for Hill.
• Natasha calmed Hulk until he reverted to Dr. Banner, and Tony found a hidden passage leading to an underground hall containing a suspended Leviathan.
• Steve confronted Baron Strucker, but Wanda ambushed Steve with red energy and escaped through a closing door.
• Wanda followed Tony underground and used her power to make him witness the Avengers’ deaths and an alien invasion through a wormhole.
• Tony woke in the laboratory, searched for the scepter, and reported to the others that it was gone.

Wanda used her powers to trap Tony Stark in an illusion that revived his guilt, while she and Pietro struggled over whether to flee Su Ming. Su Ming revealed that he had overheard them and was baffled that they feared him, leaving the siblings' fate in his hands.

• Wanda used Mind Blast to make Tony experience the destruction of Earth and recalled how a Stark Industries missile had trapped her and Pietro beneath their ruined home.
• Pietro arrived and stopped himself from attacking Tony when he saw Wanda had already ensnared him, then carried her away as Tony began to wake.
• Pietro urged Wanda to flee with him, but she said Su Ming was still watching them and reassured him that she sensed no hostility from Su Ming.
• Pietro decided to protect Wanda even if it cost him his life, and Wanda sensed his resolve and hugged him as they cried together.
• Su Ming revealed that he had followed the siblings and overheard their fears, then complained that they wrongly regarded him as an archvillain.

Su Ming found Wanda and Pietro in the snow, eased their suspicions with hot pot, and invited them to eat. Steve and Tony discovered the feast and joined them, while Wanda kept Pietro from confronting Tony as they waited to see Su Ming’s response.

• Su Ming surprised Wanda and Pietro, then used his thoughts about pudding and a steaming hot pot to convince them he meant no harm.
• Su Ming conjured a dining table, ingredients, and beer, then began eating and urged the siblings to join him.
• Pietro rushed to the table first, and Wanda soon joined him in eating the hot pot.
• Steve followed the enticing aroma to the feast, and Tony flew over after hearing Steve’s surprised reaction.
• Tony recognized the hot pot, sat down with Su Ming, and began eating; Wanda held Pietro back from confronting him.

Su Ming brought Wanda and Pietro together with the Avengers over hot pot and declared that the siblings were under his protection. He hinted that Tony was responsible for their attack, while the gathering grew and Clint was left behind in the freezing aircraft.

• Su Ming summoned Steve to the table, where Steve recognized Wanda and Pietro and accused them of working for Hydra.
• Su Ming shielded the table from the snow and declared that Wanda and Pietro were under his protection, explaining that they were Hydra experiment survivors who hated Hydra.
• Su Ming told Tony that he would have to explain why Wanda and Pietro had attacked the Avengers.
• Thor arrived, broke a chair, then joined the meal and asked what the siblings had to do with Tony.
• Natasha brought Dr. Banner to the table, while everyone realized Thor had left Clint behind on the aircraft.
• Clint listened to the Avengers eating over the communicator and complained that he was freezing and should have been brought along.

Pietro recounted how Hydra’s experiments and a missile attack had devastated his and Wanda’s family, prompting Tony to accept responsibility for his weapons dealings. Su Ming helped the twins and the Avengers reconcile, but warned Tony not to harm them as Tony asked about the consequences of his own revenge list.

• Pietro described the twins’ childhood experiments, the deaths of their companions, and the suffering that followed the attack on their home.
• Tony said he had ordered weapons development and sales to stop, but Su Ming and Steve challenged him over weapons sold before Obadiah died.
• Tony accepted that Wanda and Pietro could seek revenge against him, and the Avengers’ dinner eased the tension.
• Wanda and Pietro thanked Su Ming for listening to them, and the Avengers learned that his name was Su Ming, not just his codenames and public titles.
• Pietro said the twins would act honorably if they pursued revenge, while Su Ming promised not to stop them but threatened Tony against laying a hand on either of them.

While the Avengers ate after the battle in Sokovia, Clint remained badly injured and forgotten aboard the Quinjet. Su Ming summoned the aircraft, healed Clint, and brought him to the gathering, where Clint mistook Pietro for his attacker before learning what had happened.

• Clint weakly contacted the Avengers and asked if they had forgotten something before losing consciousness aboard the Quinjet.
• Thor realized Clint was still on the aircraft, and Pietro denied causing his injuries as the Avengers eyed him warily.
• Su Ming summoned the Quinjet and Clint to the gathering, then used his powers to heal Clint and wake him.
• Clint thanked Su Ming, but tensed when he saw Pietro and warned everyone that Pietro was dangerous.
• After Su Ming explained the misunderstanding, Clint relaxed, sat down, and complained that his friends had no loyalty.

At a gathering with the Avengers, Su Ming thanked them and recounted how he had traveled through space, escaped Kyln Prison, and founded the Galaxy Guard Corps. His tale left the group amazed and eager for adventure, while Thor’s attempt to praise Banner’s Hulk ended in confusion.

• Natasha toasted Clint for treating his wound, and Clint and Pietro traded teasing remarks while the Avengers shared food and beer.
• Su Ming thanked the Avengers for searching for him and agreed to tell them about his time in space.
• Su Ming described Xandar, Kyln Prison, and the conflict with Ronan, including how he recruited prisoners and guards to form the Galaxy Guard Corps under his command.
• Tony connected the Power Stone, Space Stone, and Mind Stone to earlier events on Earth, while the others reacted with wonder to Su Ming’s story.
• Banner nearly transformed from excitement, calmed himself with a lullaby, and admitted he had not expected Su Ming to ask him to fight.
• Natasha asked Thor to praise Hulk, but Thor’s remark about the screams of Hulk’s victims left her bewildered.

The Avengers discussed the Mind Scepter’s future, with Tony hoping to study it and Thor planning to return it to Asgard. Su Ming agreed to hand it over on the condition that he be invited to Thor’s farewell party, while Wanda and Pietro received reassurance that he had other plans for them.

• Tony asked Banner whether Dr. Zhao could prepare in his lab, but Banner noted that Clint’s injuries seemed healed.
• The Avengers discussed investigating the Mind Scepter’s use and returning it to Asgard after Banner and Tony examined it.
• Su Ming reminded them that he controlled the scepter and said they could have it if they included him in Thor’s farewell party.
• Wanda worried that Su Ming was upset about her illusion, but he reassured her and said he did not mind whom she affected.
• Wanda and Pietro said they did not want to attend the party, and Su Ming promised he had other arrangements for them.
• Thor asked Tony for more varieties of alcohol, and Tony promised to make cocktails from anything in the periodic table that could be brewed.

Su Ming returned to Avengers Tower, where Hill resigned from Tony's staff and joined him. Meanwhile, Tony and Banner began analyzing the Mind Scepter, and Clint's supposed injuries turned out to be nonexistent.

• Hill eagerly resigned as Tony's senior assistant and accepted Su Ming's embrace.
• Steve told Hill that Wanda and Pietro now belonged to Su Ming, who said they were resting at his home.
• Tony and Banner began studying the Mind Scepter and its powerful contents.
• Dr. Sun's nanomolecular treatment scanned Clint and found him healthy, leaving Dr. Zhao and the others baffled.